Bizspace Spotlight

The Houston Rockets have a lot riding on Jeremy Lin's performance on the court and as a… more

While Houston Rockets fans watch Jeremy Lin’s performance on the court, others will be watching how many marketing bucks the Taiwanese-American sensation “Linsanity” can put in the team’s coffers.

The news broke around midnight July 17 that the basketball star and Harvard graduate took a three-year, $25.1 million contract that the New York Knicks — usually a top compensation player in the NBA — couldn’t match. A sports analyst says there are at least two ways to look at Lin’s coming to Houston — his value on the court and his marketing value as a superstar.

The Houston Rockets have a lot riding on Jeremy Lin's performance on the court and as a… more

From a marketing standpoint, any move from New York is a tough sell — it’s a heavier media market, close to Madison Avenue and all the big brand industry players. So how did Houston make the cut?

"Houston makes a lot of sense as well from a marketing perspective because of the team’s history and experience with Yao Ming, (former Rockets center),” said Derek Aframe, a New York-based senior vice president at sports marketing firm Octagon Worldwide Inc. “Clearly, the Rockets are one of the more well-known brands in Asia because of Yao’s presence, and if Jeremy is successful on the court, it’s a great marriage for building into that equity they have in the Asian markets and continuing that success with Jeremy.”

Aframe also said it’s fortuitous for Houston that it will host the All-Star Game, which the National Basketball Association always uses to market its stars.

“Clearly the hope is Jeremy would be one of those,” Aframe said.

The sports analyst said the Rockets could also attract corporate sponsorships from Asia-based companies with a large presence in the U.S.

“Probably the best targets are those brands with both a strong Asian and U.S. presence, and that’s why a brand like Toyota (for which the Rockets stadium the Toyota Center is now named) makes sense,” he said.

Chatter about Lin’s coming swirled around Houston’s Asian community and the international community days before the announcement, said Linda Toyota, president of the Asian Chamber of Commerce in Houston.

“There was a lot of buzz about this and how exciting it is he’ll be in Houston,” said Toyota. “He’s the first Taiwanese (player) to be in the NBA, and that’s a big deal.”

As Ming before him, Lin will connect in Houston, she said, adding that one in five foreign-born Houstonians is Asian.

“There’s been a lot of excitement about that locally and internationally, so will it help Houston?” Toyota said. “Yes, from the marketing side. We’re a global city. It’s also a great diversion so people can look positively at something, in spite of all the doom and gloom in politics and the economy. It helps the city of Houston.”